Music Hall 9.3 vs 11.3 Turntable


Hi all, looking for informed opinions ,as in you have one, know them well etc , vs reading the same reviews and forum posts I have.

I have an opportunity to buy either of these at a nice deal so please don’t go down the “ you should buy” rabbit hole. Thanks

The 9.3 comes with or without a Goldring Eroica LX.

The 11.3 comes with or without a Ortofon Cadenza Black.

I am hoping this is my “ forever” table, I’m in my low sixties and not much of a gear swapper. I would use a Sutherland Phono Amp.

Here is where my thinking is at. The 9.3 would most probably be fabulous enough and i could upgrade cartridge in the future if I felt the need/ itch. 
The 11.3 has a better arm, more table isolation, better motor systems… my only hesitation, beside a big jump in cost is in certain reviews the Ortofon Black sounds like it could be a tiny bit harsh and finicky to get working at its peak

Do I get the 9.3 and possibly upgrade? Get the 11.3 without cartridge and buy an Ortofon Bronze? A Hana SL or ML?

The rest of my system is Harbeth SLH5 anniversary, Benchmark Amp and Dac3 and I am happy with it. Possible ( another big decision) upgrade to Harbeth 40.3 in future. 
Thanks for the well thought out and useful feedback ahead of time

z

zimick

Can I jump in? I can't answer your question directly, but you can't really have too good of a turntable and cartridge. Blow the budget and get the best you can afford, you'll have it a long time so it's worth spending a little extra on it. Hope that helps. 

FWIW I had the MMF-7 years ago when it first came out. It was a decent table and got me back into vinyl. But the VPI ScoutMaster blew the doors off of the 7. How much better is the 9? I don’t know. But I really doubt it will run with the ScoutMaster. If I had to choose between the 9.3 & the 11.3, I’d go with the 11.3 mostly because of the better motor. But is it worth $2K more? I doubt it.

However there is a ScoutMaster over on US Audio mart with the JMW arm which is nearly $1k cheaper and IMO a better deal. You can add the speed control from VPI if necessary. I didn’t see a need but every little bit helps. This is my opinion based on my experience. The Music halls seem over priced. But I haven’t been in the market for a while and maybe they have gotten significantly better.

BTW *I have no affiliation with the SM seller. I just looked for VPI and it appeared

I think you should get the 11.3 so you will not be stressed out later about not buying it. Your dealer should be able to assist you with the best choice of cartridge. 

Similar experience to @artemus_5. Had a MMF 7.1. Bought a pre-owned VPI Classic 2 with a Classic 3 tonearm. Different league. If you want a new table, I would also look at some of the higher end Pro-ject tables. There are many other options. The Music Hall turntables do get better as you move up the line. I went from 5.1 to 7.1 and it was a noticeable difference.